‘Lawyer up’: Democrats target Trump, Big Tech after midterm sweep

Democrats swiftly moved to target tech CEOs and Donald Trump upon their midterm election victory, hinting at forthcoming subpoenas and investigations into the president's business dealings. With control of Congress now in Democratic hands, lawmakers have already signaled a wave of inquiries into the Trump family's business circle and major tech executives.

"They are going to need to plant new forests for all of the subpoenas we’ll be printing," remarked Senator Ed Markey, alluding to potential legal actions against Big Tech representatives. Representative Robert Garcia, anticipated to chair the House Oversight Committee, vowed to confront "the Trump Crime Family, corporate corruption, DHS and ICE abuses, and the cover-up of the Epstein files," adding a stern warning: "Lawyer up."

The warnings arise following a campaign where Democrats have criticized Big Tech's expanding political clout and the rapid growth of AI, expressing concerns over data centers consuming significant electricity, AI product safeguards, and ties between tech executives and Trump. Tech executives associated with Trump, such as Elon Musk, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, Nvidia's Jensen Huang, OpenAI's Sam Altman, and Anthropic's Dario Amodei, are anticipated to face intense scrutiny from key committees.

Furthermore, Democratic candidates have highlighted Trump's crypto ventures, portraying them as emblematic of alleged corruption and self-enrichment. House Judiciary Democrats have initiated the recruitment process for counsel and professional staff for the upcoming Congress, including roles within oversight and investigations.